Karl Malden
Karl Malden | |
---|---|
Emerson School for Visual and Performing Arts | |
Alma mater | DePaul University |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1937–2000 |
Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) |
Spouse |
Mona Greenberg (m. 1938) |
Children | 2 |
Awards | World War II Victory Medal |
Karl Malden (born Mladen George Sekulovich; March 22, 1912 – July 1, 2009) was an American stage, movie and television actor who first achieved acclaim in the original Broadway productions of Arthur Miller's All My Sons and Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire in 1946-7. Recreating the role of Mitch in the 1951 film of Streetcar, he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Malden primarily was a character actor, who according to Robert Berkvist, "for more than 60 years brought an intelligent intensity and a homespun authenticity to roles in theater, film, and television",[4] especially in such classic films as A Streetcar Named Desire and On the Waterfront (1954), for which he received a second Best Supporting Oscar nomination.
He also played in high-profile Hollywood films such as
Film and culture critic Charles Champlin described Malden as "an Everyman, but one whose range moved easily up and down the levels of society and the IQ scale, from heroes to heavies and ordinary, decent guys just trying to get along",[5] and at the time of his death, Malden was described as "one of the great character actors of his time"[6] who created a number of "powerhouse performances on screen".[7]
Malden served as president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences from 1989 to 1992.[8]
Early life
Karl Malden, the eldest of three sons, was born Mladen Sekulovich (
His
As a teenager, Malden joined the Karageorge Choir and acted in church plays produced by his father.[13] He took part in many of these plays, which included a version of Jack and the Beanstalk, but mostly centered on the community's Serbian heritage. In high school, he was a popular student and the star of the basketball team (according to his autobiography, Malden broke his nose twice while playing, taking elbows to the face and resulting in his trademark bulbous nose).[14]
He participated in the drama department and was narrowly elected senior class president. Among other roles, he played Pooh-Bah in
He changed his name from Mladen Sekulovich to Karl Malden at age 22, something director Elia Kazan urged him to do.[16] He anglicized his first name by swapping its letters "l" and "a" and used it as his last and taking his grandfather's first name as his own.[17] This was because the first theatre company he was in wanted him to shorten his name for its marquee. He thought that they wanted to fire him and were using his name as an excuse; although that was not the case, he still changed his name to give them no excuse.[16]
Malden later stated that he regretted changing his name and tried to insert the name Sekulovich wherever possible in his work.
Education and early stage work
In September 1934, Malden left Gary, Indiana, to pursue formal dramatic training at the Goodman School (later part of
When Malden performed in the Goodman's children's theater, he wooed actress Mona Greenberg (stage name: Mona Graham), who married him in 1938. He graduated from the
Acting career around World War II
He eventually traveled to New York City, and first appeared as an actor on Broadway in 1937. He did some radio work and in a small role made his film debut in They Knew What They Wanted.[23]
Malden also joined the
His acting career was interrupted in 1942 by the
After the war, Malden resumed his acting career on Broadway, playing yet another small supporting role in the short-lived Maxwell Anderson play Truckline Cafe (1946), with a then-unknown Marlon Brando. The next year, director Elia Kazan gave Malden a co-starring role in Arthur Miller's breakout play All My Sons. By the end of that year he had joined the legendary original cast of Tennessee Williams's landmark drama A Streetcar Named Desire, also directed by Kazan, playing Harold "Mitch" Mitchell. With that high-profile theatre success, he then crossed over into steady film work.
Film career: 1950s to 1970s
Malden appeared in a small role in the film noir Kiss of Death (1947) during the run of All My Sons, but didn't resume his film acting career until 1950, starting with The Gunfighter and Where the Sidewalk Ends, then and Halls of Montezuma (1951). For Kazan's film version of A Streetcar Named Desire (also 1951), he recreated his role as Harold "Mitch" Mitchell, Stanley Kowalski's best friend, who starts a romance with Blanche DuBois (Vivien Leigh). For this performance, he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. His other films during this period included Alfred Hitchcock's I Confess (1953) with Montgomery Clift and Anne Baxter, and On the Waterfront (1954) — where he received his second nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor — playing a priest who influences Terry Malloy (Marlon Brando) to testify against mobster-union boss Johnny Friendly (Lee J. Cobb).
In
He co-starred in dozens of films from the late 1950s to the early 1970s, such as Fear Strikes Out and Time Limit (both 1957). The latter picture was Malden's only directing credit of a film, but when Delmer Daves was taken ill during the shooting of The Hanging Tree (1959), Malden took over direction of the movie for two weeks — Pollyanna (1960), appeared in Marlon Brando's directed film entitled One-Eyed Jacks (1961), Birdman of Alcatraz, Gypsy, How the West Was Won (all 1962), The Cincinnati Kid (1965), and Patton (1970), playing General Omar Bradley.
Malden's wife, Mona (the former Mildred Greenberg), graduated from Roosevelt High School in Emporia, Kansas, where she attended Kansas State Teachers College, now Emporia State University. He first visited the campus with her in 1959, and was impressed by the ESU Summer Theatre. He returned in the summer of 1964 to teach, working with the actors in the company. Upon leaving, he gave his honorarium to establish the Karl Malden Theater Scholarship still given today.[27]
In 1963, he was a member of the jury at the 13th Berlin International Film Festival.[28]
Television work
The Streets of San Francisco (1972–1977)
In 1972, Malden was approached by producer Quinn Martin about starring as Lt. Mike Stone in The Streets of San Francisco. Although the concept originated as a made-for-television movie, ABC quickly signed on to carry it as a series. Martin hired Michael Douglas to play Lt. Stone's young partner, Inspector Steve Keller.
Malden's character Stone was a widowed veteran cop with more than 20 years of experience, who is paired with Keller, an officer recently graduated from college. During its first season, The Streets of San Francisco was a ratings winner among many other 1970s crime dramas, and served as ABC's answer to such shows as .
For his work as Lt. Stone, Malden was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series four times between 1974 and 1977, but never won. After two episodes in the fifth season, Douglas left the show to act in movies; Douglas had also produced the film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest in 1975. Lt. Stone's new partner was Inspector Dan Robbins, played by Richard Hatch. The show took a ratings nosedive after being rescheduled against another Quinn Martin series on CBS, Barnaby Jones, and ABC cancelled the series after five seasons and 120 episodes.
Later TV roles
In 1980, Malden starred in
In 1981, Malden portrayed ice hockey coach Herb Brooks in a made for television account of the United States men's national ice hockey team's miraculous gold medal-winning run in the 1980 Winter Olympics. Malden told Sports Illustrated[29] in December 1980 that he had never actually met Herb Brooks in preparation for his portrayal of him, but he studied him on videotape, especially his eyes. Malden said of Brooks "I'd hate to meet him in a dark alley. I think he's a little on the neurotic side. Maybe more than a little. Any moment you think he's going to jump out of his skin." Malden also remarked with disapproval that Brooks could've ventured an occasional smile during one of the less intense games. Malden also wondered[30] how, after working hard over the course of seven months that Brooks could have simply walked away after his team clinched the improbable victory against the Soviet team.
In 1987, Malden was the host/narrator for the second and third television specials that later became the long-running series Unsolved Mysteries.
Malden portrayed Leon Klinghoffer in the 1989 TV movie The Hijacking of the Achille Lauro, the only person to die in the 1985 terrorist incident.
His last acting role was in 2000 in the first-season episode of
Other work
Malden delivered the line "Don't leave home without them!" in a series of U.S. television commercials for
From 1990 to 2009, Malden was a member of The United States Postal Service's Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee (CSAC) which evaluates potential subjects for U.S. postage stamps and reports its recommendations to the Postmaster General.[32][33]
Personal life
On December 18, 1938, Malden married Mona Greenberg (May 9, 1917 – July 13, 2019[34][35]), who survived him. Their marriage was one of the longest in Hollywood's history,[36] with their 70th wedding anniversary occurring in December 2008. In addition to his wife, Malden was survived by his daughters Mila and Carla, and his son-in-law Tom. His other son-in-law Laurence predeceased him in 2007.[37] Malden's mother lived to 103 years of age.
In 1997, Malden published his autobiography, When Do I Start?, written with his daughter Carla.[38]
Death
Malden died at his home in Los Angeles on July 1, 2009, at the age of 97. He was reported to have been in poor health for several years.
Malden's friend and former co-star Michael Douglas wrote a tribute to Malden for Time's "Milestones" section.[43]
Awards and recognition
Malden won the 1951 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for A Streetcar Named Desire and was nominated in 1954 for his supporting role in On the Waterfront. Malden was a past president of the
In 1985, he was awarded an
In May 2001, Malden received an honorary degree,
On November 12, 2005, the United States House of Representatives authorized the United States Postal Service to rename the Los Angeles Barrington Postal Station as the Karl Malden Postal Station in honor of Malden's achievements. The bill, H.R. 3667, was sponsored by Representatives Henry Waxman and Diane Watson.
For his contribution to the
Decorations
Award or decoration | Country | Date | Place | |
---|---|---|---|---|
White Angel Medal[47] | Serbia and Montenegro | 2004 | Belgrade | |
Order of Saint Sava (First Grade)[48] | Serbian Orthodox Church | October 6, 2004 | Belgrade |
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1940 | They Knew What They Wanted | Red | Film debut |
1944 | Winged Victory | Adams | |
1946 | 13 Rue Madeleine | Jump Master | Uncredited |
1947 | Boomerang | Det. Lt. White | Uncredited |
Kiss of Death | Sgt. William Cullen | ||
1950 | The Gunfighter | Mac | |
Where the Sidewalk Ends | Lt. Thomas | ||
1951 | Halls of Montezuma | Doc | |
A Streetcar Named Desire | Harold 'Mitch' Mitchell | Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor | |
1952 | The Sellout | Capt. Buck Maxwell | |
Diplomatic Courier | Sgt. Ernie Guelvada | ||
Operation Secret | Maj. Latrec | ||
Ruby Gentry | Jim Gentry | ||
1953 | I Confess | Inspector Larrue | |
Take the High Ground! | Sgt. Laverne Holt | ||
1954 | Phantom of the Rue Morgue | Dr. Marais | |
On the Waterfront | Father Barry | Nominated—Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor | |
1956 | Baby Doll | Archie Lee Meighan | Nominated— Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama Nominated—BAFTA Film Award (Best Foreign Actor) |
1957 | Fear Strikes Out | John Piersall | |
Time Limit | Prisoner | Uncredited; Malden's only directing credit | |
Bombers B-52 | MSgt. Chuck V. Brennan | ||
1959 | The Hanging Tree | Frenchy Plante | Also directed but was not credited |
1960 | Pollyanna | Reverend Paul Ford | |
1961 | The Great Impostor | Father Devlin | |
One-Eyed Jacks | Sheriff Dad Longworth | ||
Parrish | Judd Raike | ||
1962 | All Fall Down | Ralph Willart | |
Birdman of Alcatraz | Harvey Shoemaker | ||
Gypsy | Herbie Sommers | Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy | |
How the West Was Won | Zebulon Prescott | ||
1963 | Come Fly with Me | Walter Lucas | |
1964 | Dead Ringer
|
Sergeant Jim Hobbson | |
Cheyenne Autumn | Capt. Wessels | ||
1965 | The Cincinnati Kid | Shooter | |
1966 | Nevada Smith | Tom Fitch | |
Murderers' Row | Julian Wall | ||
1967 | Hotel | Keycase Milne | |
The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin | Judge Higgins | ||
Billion Dollar Brain | Leo Newbigen | ||
1968 | Blue | Doc Morton | |
Hot Millions | Carlton J. Klemper | ||
1970 | Patton | General Omar N. Bradley | |
1971 | The Cat o' Nine Tails | Franco Arnò | |
Wild Rovers | Walter Buckman | ||
1972 | Summertime Killer
|
Captain John Kiley | |
1979 | Beyond the Poseidon Adventure | Wilbur Hubbard | |
Meteor | Harry Sherwood | ||
1982 | Twilight Time | Marko Sekulovic | |
1983 | The Sting II | Gus Macalinski | |
1986 | Billy Galvin | Jack Galvin | |
1987 | Nuts | Arthur Kirk |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1949 | The Ford Theatre Hour
|
Friedrich Bhaer | Episode: "Little Women" |
1950 | Armstrong Circle Theatre | Himself | Episode: "Anything But Love" |
1952 | Celanese Theatre | Himself | Episode: "The Animal Kingdom" |
1972–1977 | The Streets of San Francisco | Det. Lt. Mike Stone | 120 episodes Nominated— Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Television Series Drama (1976)
|
1977 | Captains Courageous | Disko Troop | TV movie |
1980 | Skag | Pete 'Skag' Skagska | 6 episodes |
1981 | Word of Honor | Mike McNeill | TV movie |
1981 | Miracle on Ice | Herb Brooks | TV movie |
1984 | With Intent to Kill | Thomas E. Nolan | TV movie |
1984 | Fatal Vision | Freddy Kassab | TV mini-series Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series
|
1985 | Alice in Wonderland | The Walrus | TV movie |
1988 | My Father, My Son | Elmo Zumwalt Jr. | TV movie |
1989 | The Hijacking of the Achille Lauro | Leon Klinghoffer | TV movie |
1990 | Call Me Anna | Dr. Harold Arlen | TV movie |
1991 | Absolute Strangers | Fred Zusselman | TV movie |
1992 | Back to the Streets of San Francisco | Mike Stone | TV movie |
1993 | Vanished Without a Trace | Ed Ray | TV movie |
1995 | Biography
|
P. T. Barnum (voice) | TV series documentary |
1998 | The Lionhearts | (voice) | Episode: "Brown Dog Day" |
2000 | The West Wing | Father Thomas Cavanaugh | Episode: "Take This Sabbath Day" (final appearance) |
Radio appearances
Year | Program | Episode/source |
---|---|---|
1952 | Theatre Guild on the Air | Lilim[49] |
References
- ^ a b From the Archives: Karl Malden dies at 97; Oscar-winning actor. Los Angeles Times via Internet Archive. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
- ^ a b Karl Malden – PR Award Recipient, 1977. American Legion. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
- ^ a b c Malden, Karl, Sgt – Deceased TogetherWeServed. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
- ^ Berkvist, Robert (July 1, 2009). "Karl Malden, Actor Who Played the Uncommon Everyman, Dies at 97". The New York Times. Retrieved March 11, 2015.
- ^ McClellan, Dennis (July 2, 2009). "Karl Malden dies at 97; Oscar-winning actor". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 11, 2015.
- ^ "Karl Malden profile". InfoPlease.com. Pearson Education. Retrieved March 11, 2015.
- ^ Bergan, Ronald (July 2, 2009). "Karl Malden". The Guardian. Retrieved March 11, 2015.
- ^ "Academy Story".
- ^ Potempa, Philip (September 8, 2017). "Oscar winner Karl Malden has Gary roots". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
- ISBN 978-0-87910-272-2.
- ^ "Karl Malden profile". Film Reference. Retrieved March 9, 2012.
- ^ Guthmann, Edward (December 16, 1997). "Memorably Malden / Actor's book recalls self-effacing roles, colorful colleagues". San Francisco Chronicle.
- ^ "Karl Malden". Hollywood Walk of Fame. October 25, 2019.
- ^ Malden & Malden 1997, p. 28.
- ISBN 978-0-7407-9218-2.
- ^ a b Malden & Malden 1997, p. 89.
- ^ "Oscar-winning actor Karl Malden dead at 97". CNN. July 1, 2009. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
- ^ Bernstein, Adam (July 2, 2009). "Karl Malden, 97; Oscar-Winning Character Actor Had Long, Varied Career". The Washington Post.
- ^ a b Ebert, Roger (July 1, 2009). "Karl Malden: In Memory". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
- ^ Potempa, Philip (December 2, 2007). "'Hard work and dreams': Karl Malden remembers his roots". The Times of Northwest Indiana.
- ^ "Hollywood actor Karl Malden dies". BBC News. July 2, 2009. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
- ^ "The Streets of San Francisco (1972–1977) Full Cast & Crew". IMDb.
- ^ "Oscar-winning actor Karl Malden dead at 97". CNN. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
- ^ Malden & Malden 1997, p. 83.
- ^ Actor Karl Malden Dead at Age 97. CBS News. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
- ^ French, Jack (January 8, 2000). "Radio Recall: Karl Malden...On the Radio". www.otr.com.
- ^ a b "Actor Karl Malden was supporter of theater at ESU". Emporia Gazette. July 2, 2009. Archived from the original on January 22, 2013. Retrieved July 2, 2009.
- ^ "Berlinale: Juries". berlinale.de. Retrieved February 13, 2010.
- ^ Swift, E.M. (October 28, 2014). "A Reminder Of What We Can Be: The 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team". Sports Illustrated.
- ISBN 9781476626963.
- ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
- ^ USPS: Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee Archived April 27, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, USPS.com; accessed December 10, 2015.
- ^ See this for a picture of the Yip Harburg commemorative Malden was partly responsible for and a description of the campaign to have it issued Archived November 8, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, thefastertimes.com, November 1, 2009; accessed December 10, 2015.
- ^ "Mona Malden Obituary | Los Angeles Times". Legacy.com. Retrieved July 16, 2019.
- ^ "Mona Malden Dead: Actress and Widow of Karl Malden Was 102". Hollywood Reporter. July 16, 2019. Retrieved July 16, 2019.
- ^ "Oscar-winning actor Karl Malden dies aged 97". Yahoo!. Archived from the original on July 4, 2009.
- ^ Stein, Ruthe (July 2, 2009). "KARL MALDEN 1912–2009 "Streetcar to Streets – actor who could do it all"". The San Francisco Chronicle.
- ^ "Karl Malden". The Telegraph. July 1, 2009. Archived from the original on January 12, 2022. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
- ^ "Hollywood actor Karl Malden dies". BBC News. July 2, 2009. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
- NBC Los Angeles(online).
- ^ Potempa, Philip (December 2, 2007). "Hard work and dreams: Karl Malden remembers his roots". The Times of Northwest Indiana. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
- ^ See California
- ^ Douglas, Michael (July 20, 2009). "Milestones: Karl Malden". Time. Retrieved January 15, 2018.
- YouTube. Retrieved January 21, 2011.
- ^ "Great Western Performers". Nationalcowboymuseum.org. Retrieved March 9, 2012.
- ^ "Monument to Serbian-American actor Karl Malden unveiled". November 21, 2018.
- ^ "Vremeplov: Marović odlikovao Karla Maldena (Mladena Sekulovića)". RTV. February 23, 2009. Retrieved November 21, 2018.
- Serbian Orthodox church
Sources
- Malden, Karl; Malden, Carla (1997). When Do I Start?: A Memoir. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-0-6848-4309-4.
External links
- Karl Malden at IMDb
- Karl Malden at the Internet Broadway Database